Since their onset, US mass media industries have been enormously powerful conveyors of meaning, both nationally and internationally. This course critically examines historical and contemporary stereotypes of "the Other" in movies, sitcoms, popular music, video games, textbooks, advertising and news, looking at some of the reasons for and consequences of stereotyping. Portrayals of ethnicity, race, class, gender and sexual orientation will be discussed as students engage in textual analyses of media products, paying particular attention to how language, plot, narrative, casting, set design, music, lyrics, camera work and lighting are employed to promote dominant ideologies and marginalize alternative representations. This course will challenge you to critically reflect on issues of economic inequality, oppression, and power dynamics in US society.